Homeowner fights off raid gang
MAN’S INCREDIBLE BRAVERY AS HE FORCES ARMED BURGLARS TO FLEE HOUSE:
A BUSINESSMAN fought off armed robbers with his bare hands during a terrifying raid on his home.
Asif Ali landed a flurry of punches on the balaclava-clad gang before chasing them into the garden with a pair of kitchen knives.
The estate agent has told how ‘instinct kicked in’ when he was confronted by a man dressed head-to-toe in black standing in the hallway of his Rochdale home on Tuesday night.
CCTV footage shows Mr Ali, 35, landing several punches on the man, before also taking on his two accomplices who follow him into the house.
Chillingly, after being forced into the garden, one of the men threatened to kill Mr Ali before going back inside armed with what is thought to be a screwdriver.
But Mr Ali ran to the kitchen, grabbed two knives and chased them outside once more.
The attempted robbery took place at Mr Ali’s home in Bamford at about 9.15pm on Tuesday.
Mr Ali, who runs an estate agents and a clothes shop in Rochdale, told how his first thought was to protect his wife Charlotte, 30, who was upstairs in bed when the raid took place.
He said: “I was on a business call when I heard the dogs barking really aggressively.
“I went to see what was going on and there was someone standing there dressed head-to-toe in black.
“He threw a punch at me and we started to fight.
“I didn’t know what I was doing. Instinct just kicked in - I was just trying to get him out of the house.
“A second man came in and I thought he was trying to get upstairs where my wife was. I didn’t want them anywhere near my wife.
“I got them outside, but they were pulling at the door, then one of them pulled out what looked like a knife, but the police think it might have been a screwdriver.
“He said ‘I’m going to kill you.’ He started to walk towards me. I ran back inside and grabbed a couple of kitchen knives and chased them back out.”
Mr Ali says he’s released the CCTV footage in a bid to catch those responsible and is offering a £5,000 reward for any information which leads to a conviction.